Steam-pipe for gas-holders.



W. A. ORAMMOND'.

STEAM PIPE FOR GAS HOLDERS. APPLIoATioN FILED SEP'II. 14, 1911.

1,018,033, Patented Feb.20', 1912.

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W. A. CRAMMOND. STEAM PIPE FOR GAS HOLDERS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 14, 1911.

Patented Feb. 20, 1912.

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INVENTUR BY flrfaRA/Ey COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPM co.,wAsmNGTON. u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM ALEXANDER GRAMMOND, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

STEAM-PIPE FOR- GAS-HOLDERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 14, 1911.

Patented Feb. 20, 1912. Serial No. 649,315.

. the freezing of water during thewinter. In

order to accomplish this result I have provided a novel construction which is very durable, of comparatively light weight and great rigidity to resist the disturbing efiects of wind, yet readily flexible in response to the normal up and down movements of the gas holder, and having joints which remain tight under all conditions.

The subject matter of my present application was disclosed, substantially, in my earlier application Serial No. 567,135, as filed originally in the United States Patent Office on June 16, 1910, which application has matured into Letters Patent No. 1,006,830, dated October 24, 1911.

I will now proceed to describe a specific embodiment of my present invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and will then point out the novel features of the invention in the appended claims.

Figure 1 is a partial side elevation of a gas holder provided with my improved heating pipe; Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on line 33 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section of one of the pipe couplings employed by me; and Fig. 5 shows the heating connection to the lowermost holder section.

' I do not claim herein the specific construction of the pipe coupling, as this forms the subject-matter of my earlier application referred to above.

In Figs. 1 and 2, I have shown three successive movable sections A, B, G of a telescopic gas holder, which in its general features is of the customary construction. Each of these sections is provided at its upper end with an inverted cup formed by a depending inner flange, such as A, B, arranged to dip into the waterseal in the cup, such as B C formed by an upwardly extending outer flange at the lower end of the next section above, this being a well-known construction. On the inverted cup at the upper end of each holder section is secured a bracket-or carrier D, preferably provided with braces D, for a vertical metal pipe section E. The upper end of each pipe section E is connected with a coupling of the character shown in Fig. 4:. This coupling comprises a member F threaded internally to fit the upper end of the pipe E and having an interior passage F which is substantially in line with the pipe E adjacent thereto, but has its other end at a right angle to said pipe. At said end the member F is fitted into a socket formed at one end of'the coupling member G. This end is screwthreaded to receive a gland H which surrounds the adjacent horizontal end of the coupling member F and makes a tight joint with the aid of a suitable packing J. vIn line with the axis of the horizontal upper end of the member F, an external lug or axle pin F is projected therefrom, and this lug is engaged by a plate K made integral with the coupling member G, or secured thereto rigidly. The lug or pin F and the horizontal upper end of the coupling member F form a bearing or trunnion on which the other coupling member can swing, while lateral movement of this member G (lengthwise of the pivot) is limited or prevented by the end of the member F and by the shoulder adjacent to' the lug F The coupling mem ber G has an internal passage G having a substantially horizontal lower end to register with the horizontal upper end of the passage F, and a vertical upper end provided with a screw thread to receive the lower end of a swinging metal pipe section L. The upper end of the pipe section L is connected, by means of a coupling of the same construction as described above, with another swinging metal pipe section M. It will be, understood from Figs. 2 and 4: that the pipe sections E, L and M always remain in the same plane, notwithstanding the swinging movement of the sections L, M. The upper end of the, pipe section M is screwed into a coupling member F of the same construction as described above, said memberhaving a gland H and a trunnion pin or lug F The mating couplingmember g is T-shaped and horizontal, the central portion of the T communicating with the passage of the coupling member F. This member 9 and the bearing plate for the trunnion lug F are carried rigidly by the upper end of the corresponding gas holder section. The second passage-way of the T- shaped coupling member g communicates with a pipe N provided with a regulating valve N and leading to nozzles N adapted to discharge the heating agent (steam) into the cup of the respective holder section, so as to prevent the freezing of the water contained therein. A pet cock N may be provided immediately above the nozzles. The third passage-way of the T-shaped coupling 9 leads to a horizontal connecting pipe O communicating with the lower end of the next vertical pipe section E. P indicates the eustomaryi'rame work havingtracks P for rollers R carried by the telescoping sections of the gas holder. The nozzles N of the lowermost holder section receive a supply of heating agent (steam) in any suitable manner. For instance, the swinging pipe m depending from said lowermost section may be connected, through the medium of another swinging pipe Z, with a stationary steam supply pipe 6 suitably supported on the platform S (Fig. That is to say, the construction is the same as described above, except that the lowermost vertical pipe 6 is fixed instead of being carried by one of the movable holder sections.

With my improved arrangement of pipes, a very efiicient and durable construction is obtained. The length of the pipe sections 6, E is preferably about one-third of the height of the gas holder sections, or slightly more. The vertical and the swinging pipe sections being made of metal, they are of sufiicient rigidity to resist bending strains due to wind, and are not liable to be blown against, and become entangled with, parts of the frame work. The oints remain tight under all conditions, and the weight of the pipes is borne just as much by the upper ends of the pipe sections 6, E as by the coupling members g. The strains at the joints are thus reduced, thus increasing the life of the device. The arrangement of the jointed pipe sections (such as E, L, M) in the same plane, transverse to the several parallel axes or pivots of such jointed sections, is a very important and advantageous feature of the construction. It causes the connected swinging sections (L, M) to turn in the same plane, and avoids or diminishes the tendency of the pipe sections to twist or swing from their proper position, either when the holder sections move up and down, or when a lateral strain is exerted by winds. I thus avoid all strain on the threads engaged by the glands H, which threads are liable to re ceive irregular strains when the pipe sections are not in the same plane of movement, especially in case the joint is stiff.

It will be observed that all the pipe sections E are substantially in the same vertical plane, so that in case of installing the device or making repairs thereto, all of said pipe sections can be reached from one ladder, without changing its position.

Various modifications may be made without departing from the nature of my inven tion as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a telescopic sectional gas holder having cups to form liquid seals at the junction of two sections, a heating arrangement comprising an upper pipe section located at the top of a holder section and arranged to discharge a heating agent into the cup, a vertical lower pipe section adapted to receive a supply of heating agent, said upper section being movable up and down relatively to said lower section, and swinging rigid pipe sections connected with each other and with said upper and lower sections by parallel horizontal pivot joints.

2. In a telescopic sectional gas holder having cups to form liquid seals at the junction of two sections, a heating arrangement com prising an upper pipe section located at the top of a holder section and arranged to discharge a heating agent into the cup, a vertical lower pipe section adapted to receive a supply of heating agent, said upper section being movable up and down relatively to said lower section, and swinging rigid pipe sections connected with each other and with said upper and lower sections by parallel horizontal pivot oints, the vertical pipe section and the swinging sections being located in the same plane, transverse to said parallel pivots.

3. In a telescopic sectional gas holder having cups to form liquid seals at the junction of two sections, a heating arrangement comprising an upper pipe section located at the top of a holder section and arranged to discharge a heating agent into the cup, a lower pipe section adapted to receive a supply of heating agent, said upper section being movable up and down relatively to said lower section, and swinging rigid pipe sections connected with each other and with said upper and lower sections by parallel horizontal pivot joints.

4. In a telescopic sectional gas holder having cups to form liquid seals at the junction of two sections, a heating arrangement comprising an upper pipe section located at the top of a holder section and arranged to discharge a heating agent into the cup, a lower pipe section adapted to receive a supply of heating agent, said upper section being movable up and down relatively to said lower section, and swinging rigid pipe sections connected with each other and with said upper and lower sections by parallel horizontal pivot joints, said swinging sections being arranged to swing in the same plane. 5. In a telescopic sectional gas holder having cups to form liquid seals at the junction of two sections, a heating arrangement comprising an upper pipe section located at the top of a holder section and arranged to discharge a heating agent into the cup, a lower pipe section adapted to receive a supply of heating agent, said upper section being movable up and down relatively to said lower section, swinging rigid pipe sections pivotally connected with each other and with said upper and lower sections, and a connecting pipe section extending from the upper pipe section of a holder section to the lower pipe section of the same holder section.

6. In a telescopic sectional gas holder having cups to form liquid seals at the junction of two sections, a heating arrangement comprising an upper pipe section located at the top of a holder section and arranged to discharge a heating agent into the cup, a lower pipe section adapted to receive a supply of heating agent, said upper section being movable up and down relatively to said lower section, swinging rigid pipe sections pivotally connected with each other and with said upper and lower sections, and a connecting pipe section extending from the upper pipe section of a holder section to the lower pipe section of the same holder section, the lower pipe sections of the several holder sections lying substantially in the same vertical plane.

7. In a telescopic sectional gas holder having cups to form liquid seals at the junction of two sections, a heating arrangement comprising an upper pipe section located at the top of a holder section and arranged to discharge a heating agent into the cup, a vertical lower section adapted to receive a supply of heating agent, said upper section being movable up and down relatively to said lower section, swinging rigid pipe sections connected with each other and with said upper and lower sections by horizontal pivot joints, and a connecting pipe section extending from the upper pipe section of a holder section to the lower pipe section of the same holder section, the vertical lower pipe sections lying substantially in the same vertical plane.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM ALEXANDER CRAMMOND Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 0i Patents, Washington, D. C. 

